News: January 2011

February is BikeWise monthBike Wise is New Zealand's national programme of activities promoting cycling as a fun, healthy and safe way to travel.Why not join us and get back in the saddle?.For events in your area, check http://www.bikewisechallenge.co.nz/

Thursday Jan 27, 2011A cyclist was fatally injured last night when he was hit by a car in Canterbury.The accident happened in High St, Leeston, 43km southwest of Christchurch, about 8.40pm.The victim, a 40-year-old local man, died at the scene.http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=10702278&r...

caption: Tim Hope, on the recumbent bike (bottom right), died in hospital on July 3, 2020 from injuries from a crash with a truck. He's pictured in 2014 with, from left, Celia Hope, Kasha Latimer, and Kemble Pudney. (Waikato Times)See also - the map at http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=1063915750514911... - NZTA crash statistics - these exclude off-road deaths - NZTA crash analysis reports - Ministry of Transport annual figures - Coroners' reports Over the past few years there's been an average of 9 deaths per year - down from 30 in the 1970s. This list includes deaths involving a cyclist only (e.g. lost control, hit object), but most were the result of a collision with a motor vehicle. 20242 February, unnamed person, intersection of Falls Road and Mansel Drive in Warkworth, new sreport  22 January, unnamed person, Woodhill...

I am pleased to report that CAN has received a donation from Renaissance College, Hong Kong - but unfortunately in response to a cycling death.As below:"We are a school in HK, interested in donating to your organisation, and I want to request some extra information.Our Primary School Principal Max Muller, just this week, suffered the loss of his brother Wilhelm Muller in a cycling accident. I am sure you are aware of this, as it has been reported in the NZ Herald. We would like to make a contribution in memorium of Wilhelm, so that his death works to make a difference to others - preferably cyclists - as his actions in life so often did.Could you share with me how donations are used and what sort of advocacy works your organization does? I would like to be able to report this back to my staff here in HK, so that they know that their contributions really will contribute, in...

"They don't pay road tax, they block the road, they are inconsiderate, they overtake, they are bloody slow . . . I pay road tax, so I should have priority."That statement may sound like it was made by road.cc's new friend Councillor Lawrence Abraham, but in fact it came from an unnamed motorist interviewed as part of a just-released Department for Transport-commissioned report into cycling safety and the attitudes of other road users towards cyclists.The report, snappily titled, Safety, cycling and sharing the road: qualitative research with cyclists and other road users does not make for uplifting reading and will confirm what many cyclists already know to be the case, i.e. that some drivers view cyclists as inconveniences at best and a road-using underclass who shouldn't be there at all, at worst (maybe "Oi Cyclist! Get off the road" might have been a more apt title - ed)Tellingly,...

The 2011 Cyclist Skills Training Courses in Palmerston North kick off at Central Normal School this month. The line up of dedicated trainers pictured from Cycle Aware Manawatu, all of whom completed an "Instructor Training Workshop" held in Palmerston North in January 2010 run by the Cycling Advocates' Network (UK accredited teaching instructors), will now be teaching the course. It will be repeated three times (Thursday January 27 at 6pm, Saturday February 12 at 9am, and Tuesday March 1 at 6pm). Registrations are essential, ring Sport Manawatu, or visit their website to book your place online. The course on offer this year is a short two hour excerpt of the full day-long "Bikeability" workshop offered last year. This is in response to public feedback that this would better suit busy lifestyles. The course is run in collaboration with Sport Manawatu, and Horizons. The course is...

A leading transport economist has suggested that slower-than-expected growth of the Barclays Cycle Hire scheme is due to riders' fear of sharing London's streets with motor traffic rather than flaws in the project's infrastructure."There's never been a shortage of bikes in London," Professor Stephen Glaister of Imperial College, London told The Economist. "It's just that people are afraid to use them."The city's bike hire scheme was launched in July, with the goal of 50,000 journeys per day. Surveys carried out during the first six months of the scheme have indicated peak usage climbing to around 26,000 trips.The significant level of surplus capacity available within the system appears to back up Professor Glaister's suggestion, with The Economist proposing that bike paths like those found in countries such as Belgium and the Netherlands, which separate cyclists from other traffic, may...

Cycling Advocates Network (CAN) and BikeNZ are saddened to hear of the latest cyclist deaths, but are pleased they are to be referred to the coroner.Spokesperson, Anne FitzSimon said this inquest will examine whether there were any patterns and possible law changes needed."CAN and BikeNZ are keen to help the coroner in any way with our expertise.""CAN and BikeNZ are concerned with the loss of basic cycle skills which are often lacking in young New Zealanders."Cycling Skills Training and ‘Share the Road' are both CAN and BikeNZ's top priority for 2011.She said CAN and BikeNZ are committed to raising the standard of cycling.."That's why we have developed cycle skills training programmes for children through to adults, based on world-best practice.""We're committed to our programmes and encourage the government to fully support sufficient investment to continue these programmes to every...